The American Academy was founded in 1780 by John Adams, John Hancock, and other "scholar-patriots"; it includes, according to a press release, "the finest minds and most influential leaders from each generation." Only Americans can be chosen as fellows of the organization, but citizens of other countries can be named foreign honorary members.

Other newly elected fellows include former presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, film director Martin Scorsese, playwright Paula Vogel, New Yorker editor David Remnick, and aircraft designer Elbert Rutan, among other scholars, businesspeople, artists, and political leaders.

The new fellows will be inducted at a ceremony in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on October 7.